1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blood pressure measuring device (hereinafter also referred to simply as blood pressure monitor) configured to have a cuff and a main-unit casing connected by a flexible connection tube and to allow the connection tube to be wound by a winding device provided within the main-unit casing.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, for early detection of lifestyle-related diseases whose main cause is hypertension or for blood pressure management, blood pressure monitors that can be used at home have become widespread. Usually, to measure a blood pressure value, a cuff including a fluid bag for pressing an artery located within a living body is wrapped around the body surface of the living body, and arterial pressure pulse waves caused in the artery by inflation and deflation of the wrapped fluid bag are detected to measure the blood pressure value.
Here, the cuff refers to a band-shaped structure that has a bladder and that can be wrapped around a part of a living body, for use in measurement of arterial pressure of an upper limb/lower limb by supplying such a fluid as gas or liquid into the bladder. Thus, the cuff is a term representing the concept including the fluid bag as well as a wrapping member for wrapping the fluid bag around a part of the living body, and the cuff is also called arm band or manchette depending on the case.
For the so-called upper-arm blood pressure monitor using an upper arm as a site for taking a measurement, the structure is employed that connects, by an air tube which is a flexible connection tube, a main-unit casing in which for example a pump and a valve are provided that are components of an inflation/deflation mechanism for inflating/deflating an air bag serving as the fluid bag, and a cuff containing the air bag. Therefore, preferably the upper-arm blood pressure monitor is superior in terms of housing of the cuff, air tube and main-unit casing while the monitor is not in use, and it is required that the components can be housed compactly and that the operation of housing the components is easy.
As examples of the upper-arm blood pressure monitor improved in terms of housing property, those disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Laying Open No. 64-019403 and Japanese Utility-Model Laying-Open No. 62-130606 for example are known. However, any of the disclosed monitors merely has, in a main-unit casing, a cuff housing for housing a cuff. Regarding the air tube, it is merely intended that the air tube is folded to be housed in an air-tube housing that is provided in parallel with the cuff housing or the folded air tube is inserted into and held in a hollow portion of a tubular cuff.
As for the blood pressure monitor configured in the manner as described above, a user is entirely responsible for the operation of housing the air tube. If the user handles the air tube carelessly, the air tube could be bent, twisted or caught between the main-unit casing and the open/close cover. In such a case, at the worst, the air tube could be broken.